Royal Legacy
by atomicseasoning
Summary: A sequel to my story "If Only", this time focusing more on Melody's life.
1. Chapter 1

Royal Legacy

The water rippled along the shore as Melody rode her horse across the meadow, until she came to the shore where she rode along the beach. She stopped at an outcropping of rock along the shore and slid from the saddle to sit on the rock and look out across the sea.

While sitting there, she heard the voices of her animal friends and a few of her merfolk friends, who called out to her. She walked over to where they were sunning themselves and greeted them cheerfully.

"Hello, what are you all up to today?"

"Oh hello Melody! We're just hanging out here taking in some sun. What's up with you?" they asked.

"Oh I was just riding my horse along the shore. I think I broke my last time of less than five minutes between the castle and here." she said proudly.

"Wow that's cool! I wish I could ride a horse sometime! That'd be so cool!" a young mermaid sighed.

"Well Marie, before you can do that you'd first have to be a human because I don't know how well you'd be able to ride a horse as a mermaid." Melody chuckled.

"Do you think your grandfather, King Triton, would be able to help me at all? Help me like he did your mom and yourself back a few years ago?" Marie asked expectantly.

"I'm not sure Marie, you'll have to ask my grandfather yourself." Melody chuckled.

Suddenly a rider came by and alerted Melody that she was needed back at the castle, so she was expected to leave her place at the shore and her friends.

"Oh dear I guess I have to go back now to see what my parents want now. Oh its either one thing or another. Lately my parents have been hinting at setting me up with a suitable suitor or something. Heaven knows who'll suggest next." Melody sighed.

"Oh Melody its too back you have to leave now! What about our plans to visit the pirate's treasure cave in a few days?" the other mermaids asked.

"Well I'll have to see about that, but I'll think of something soon, I promise!" Melody called as she jumped on her horse and galloped off toward the castle.

Melody soon arrived back at the castle where she was ushered into a drawing room where her mother was seated and her father stood. Her mother rose and took her hand then pulled her into a hug.

"Oh Melody you certainly have a healthy glow about you, though you're a bit disheveled. Oh don't tell me you've been riding that horse of yours at breakneck speeds again?" Ariel asked.

"Well mama actually..." Melody replied softly.

"Oh Melody! I..."

"Ahem Ariel don't be too difficult, you remember how you were at her age..." Eric chuckled.

"Yes but by the time I was her age I was already married to you." Ariel playfully chided her husband then went on "Speaking of marriage, we think that since you are almost 19 already that its time that you should be thinking about marriage and settling down somewhat."

"Oh but I always thought I'd always be your little girl." Melody sighed.

"Yes that's true, we'll always love you as our oldest girl, but well with your younger brothers in boarding school and now as naval apprentices, we realized how its time that you settled a bit and were protected." Eric said.

"Protected? You think I'm too dangerous or something?" Melody asked.

"Ha ha no. Your adventures are fine its that well, recently we received a letter from Tsar Alexander of Russia and he's looking for a bride for his eldest son Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich. You might remember the Tsarevich, he was the lad you danced with at your twelfth birthday party." Eric said.

"What? That kid? He was a total brat and he laughed at me and Sebastian that time." Melody gasped.

"Oh honey I think he's grown up some since then, you'll see. Anyway he and his father are coming soon to meet you and see what they think of you. They should be arriving by the end of the week." Ariel announced.

"Really oh boy..." Melody sighed.

"Oh it won't be so bad, you'll see. Why you may even find its not so bad." Ariel said as she gave her daughter a comforting hug.

"Thank you mother, father. I think I'm going to go to my room now and think about all of this. May I be excused?" Melody said quietly as she headed toward the door.

"Yes you're excused. If you'd like, we'll have a tray sent to your room, would you like that?" Ariel said.

"Yes that would be nice. Thank you." Melody said as she opened the door and walked to her bedroom.

As the sun set toward the west, the last rays of the sun setting over the horizon, Melody flopped on her bed, contemplating all of the things her parents had told her about her future or what they wanted for her future. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door and thus she walked over to the door and opened it, thinking it was the maid with her tray of food. She opened the door and let the young maid enter and set the tray on a side table. However when Melody spoke to her, the maid giggled and pulled off her mob cap.

"Hello Melody surprised to see me?"

"Marie what are you doing here as a human no less?" Melody chuckled at her former mermaid friend.

"Oh well...I wanted you and your castle friends to teach me how to ride a horse...and I wanted to experience so many of your human things...so I borrowed your grandfather's Triton's trident and voila here I am!" Marie exclaimed as she spun around and laughed.

"So my grandfather just let you become a human, just like that? I must say I'm a bit surprised..." Melody said skeptically.

"Well it was a bit more than that...I'll have to tell you the whole story sometime..." Marie said.

"Yeah you'll have to sometime Marie." Melody said.

"Hey Melody now that I'm a human, I didn't realize how much we look alike...or at least we have the same brunette hair...he he" Marie giggled.

"Yeah...hmmm...this might be to our advantage." Melody sighed slyly.

"Really how so?" Marie queried.

"Well you remember that trip that we were going to take to explore the pirate cave? Well on that same day I'm supposed to meet this king and his son, to whom I'm supposed to become betrothed to or something...So I'm wondering, would you like to meet a prince yourself?" Melody pondered.

"Oh yes that would be great! Oh what do I do? Tell me more..." Marie said anxiously excited.

"Well all you have to do is pose as me for a few days, until either they agree to a betrothal or not. Then I'll return after three days, I pledge my word, and then you can tell me everything." Melody explained.

"Oh yes I think I can do this. Oh this will be such fun, let's do it!" Marie exclaimed.

And so Melody and Marie made their plans for the future or at least the next few days at least.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next two days passed quickly, and soon it was both the day that Melody and her friends had agreed to explore the pirate cave, but it was also the day that Russian Tsar Alexander and his son were arriving in the kingdom. That morning Melody dressed as a commoner, while she dressed her friend Marie (the temporary former little mermaid) in silks and satins.

Melody left on a pony to find her friends a mile down the seashore. When she met up with her friends, mermaid a human alike, they greeted her warmly and they scampered off to the cave to explore what they could. Eventually they decided to picnic in a grotto that had been carved in the rock by various winds blowing by. While they were resting and picnicking, suddenly a small rowboat appeared with a few sailors in it. The one sailor in particular was striking with his red-blonde hair and wiry stature.

"So ho what'd we have 'ere" a sailor commented.

"Oh I'm just having a picnic with my friends, as you can see." Melody exclaimed.

"Having a picnic wif da mermaids, I've seen the like. Hmm you'd like ta picnic wit dis piece of skirt sir, I know I would." another sailor exclaimed greedily.

"Well I never!" Melody exclaimed.

"Hold off Ivan, you don't want to scare the poor girl away now do you? Yes we'll picnic with the fair lady if she would like." the young sailor said to his men.

"Yes you can picnic with us if you desire to, that is if you keep a respectable distance." Melody said as she stared at him, feeling a bit nervous.

"Aw respectable is my middle name, my fair lady. My first name...well lets just say you can call me Nixa." he exclaimed.

"Nixa? Hmm, thats certainly an interesting name, thats for certain." Melody exclaimed as Nixa seated himself a few feet from Melody.

Melody, Nixa, and the whole company of picnickers ate and chatted for awhile until Nixa glanced at his pocket watch and exclaimed "Oh dear I have places to go and people to meet, so I must bid you farewell my lady until we meet again."

Melody bid Nixa and his companions farewell as she realized that he was quite the character and wished that she'd been able to get to know him better.

Meanwhile back at the castle, Marie had been introduced to Tsar Alexander who was delighted by her appearance and personality. To him, Maria seemed the perfect candidate to become his eldest son's wife, so he patiently awaited the return of his son later that evening.

"Oh yes Maria you are a delight indeed. You remind me of my oldest daughter, similar manners and deportment and so forth. You should make a fine bride for my son Nicholas. Fine lad on the up and up, though he seems to take after his mother in size, unlike his brother Alexander who is a true Roman...Oh I see you're finally here!" Alexander said.

"Yes father I...I was delayed by a bit of business I had to take care of...Oh who is this vision of loveliness that I have the pleasure of meeting now?" Nicholas said as he lifted Marie's hand to his lips for a kiss.

"Ah Nixa, meet your bethrothed, your bride to be, Maria Feodorovna, Princess Dagmar of Denmark." Alexander exclaimed as he introduced the couple.

"Pleased to meet you sir. He he...hmmm...Oh did your father call you Nixa? I thought your name was Nicholas?" Marie queried as she gazed up at him and felt an instant attraction.

"Oh that, well that's just an old family name that my siblings gave me after my sister couldn't pronounce my name properly. Will you stroll with me and I'll tell you more about my family and you can tell me about yours." Nicholas said as he took Marie by the arm and strolled in the gardens, charming her all the way.

Nicholas and Marie chatted longer, and when Marie asked him about his slight cough, he laughed it off as nothing and they continued to visit a while longer, until when the moon was just overhead, they shared a kiss.

A few more hours passed and eventually the young couple parted with promises for the future still on their lips as they bid each other farewell. Nicholas and his father went back to their ship because they were going to set sail the next day. Meanwhile Marie ran back to Melody's room where she spilled to her all that she had experienced.

"Oh Melody it was simply divine! Nicholas and I strolled and talked and I might've messed up a bit on remembering your family history but hopefully it won't matter...But oh he's so charming and so handsome! We even shared a kiss under the moonlight...Ah..." Marie sighed.

"Oh good for you Marie. So he's matured since my twelfth birthday party? That's good. So how'd the rest go, I'm just curious." Melody said curiously.

"Oh I...I mean you are betrothed! But one minor detail, um Melody...my Russian was a little rusty and I was a little nervous...and I slipped and told the tsar my name was Marie...but he misheard me and thought I said 'Maria' instead." Marie nervously said.

"What? He thinks my name is 'Maria' instead of 'Melody'?" Melody gasped.

"Well one consolation, he at least remembered your real first name was Dagmar." Marie commented.

"Ha ha Dagmar, the real first name of my grandmother. I'm glad that my parents called me Melody for most of my life." Melody chuckled. "Anyway I think I can live with being called Maria once in awhile. So anyway now I'm betrothed to Nicholas and his family and you're not upset about that?" Melody asked, more than a bit concerned.

"Well...yeah it is hard that you'll have him instead of me but then again I'm going to be turning back into a mermaid again soon." Marie sighed.

"Aw okay...Oh I hope that everything works out for the best whatever happens in the future. Maybe we can both go to the docks to see them off and you can say your goodbyes...and maybe there'll be some other guys there to watch." Melody sighed as she gave her friend a sympathetic hug.

"Oh ha ha Mel, you're supposed to be betrothed to Nixa!" Marie teased.

"Yeah but it doesn't mean we can't look for your sake." Melody slyly said.

The next day, Alexander and Nicholas left on their voyage onward, while Melody and Marie went down to the docks to watch them leave as well as watch another ship sail into the port. This ship was a ship that had sailed from Great Britain, but had several passengers from the United States.

Melody and Marie stood off to the side, letting their poke bonnets shade most of their faces while they watched the sailors roust the ship and ready for docking into the ports. The two girls giggled at most of the rather ordinary or funny looking sailors as they rushed about, until several prominent figures walked down the plank toward the docks. One younger, somewhat prominent sailor with dark brown hair and piercing dark eyes, wearing a dark blue uniform caught Marie's eye as he walked down the gangplank.

"Oh Melody who's that?" Marie gasped to Melody, as the sailor walked on by.

"Oh that is Captain Anthony Gregory from the United States. He is a dish isn't he? Too bad I'm betrothed and can only marry royalty." Melody sighed.

"Maybe you can't but..." Marie said slyly.

"Oh no Marie, what would grandfather say? Anyway I don't know if you'd want Captain Anthony because he just finished his tenure with the Federals in that bloody little Civil War they were having there in the United States. I forget if its still going on or not, but it doesn't really matter, though my mother is hopeful that this will be the cause to the end of slavery there." Melody sighed.

"Slavery? What's that?" Marie asked, curiously.

"Let's just say an abomination where people hold other people like property and make them work the land and so forth for them. My mother has told me that it existed even in Europe for nigh until just before I was born in many places, give or take a few years, but it has lasted in the United States until possibly recently." Melody explained.

"Oh my! Owning other people, I can only imagine! But still, what about the Captain?" Marie wondered.

"Well as I said the Captain was in the US military until recently. Who knows but perhaps he still has blood on his uniform..." Melody pondered.

"Do you think so? But he is so handsome!" Marie gasped.

"Oh well you never know...Aw I don't know about that, but come on we need to get back to the castle for dinner." Melody said teasingly as she pulled Marie along back to the castle.

The girls dressed for dinner and were surprised to see Captain Anthony and some of his companions, Shiloh Irons Winslow and his wife Cheney, along with Major Nelson. The two young ladies were introduced but were otherwise kept out of sight in an upstairs balcony as a ball was held in the ballroom.

After the party, the girls went to their rooms, where Marie pined about the human young men she'd leave behind when she turned back into a mermaid.

"Oh Melody I don't know what to do! I do not want to go back to being a mermaid, the human boys are so much more handsome! I want to be a part of their world!" Marie sighed as she fell back on her bed.

"Oh Marie, ha ha, now you sound like my mother! I don't know how you can manage that since you managed to get me betrothed to Nicholas Alexanderovich and Captain Tony lives across the ocean in the United States! I don't know how you would even get there without a ship. Plus I'd be surprised if my grandfather will allow you to stay in human form much longer, so you might as well go back to being a mermaid." Melody laughed.

"Hmm...Captain Tony lives across the ocean? Perhaps I will go back to being a mermaid, for a while at least." Marie pondered.

"Well yeah I think that will be best. Still though, you will come back to help me when Nicholas asks me to visit his family's kingdom, won't you?" Melody asked.

"Oh yes...I'll come back and help you soon. Whenever you need to find me, just pick up a shell and phone me." Marie said.

"Oh yes, a shell phone! Too bad they haven't been invented for the overall human world yet." Melody sighed.

"Yes I suppose some things are better in Atlantica! Anyway as far as shell phones go, grandfather said all in good time, though I don't know what that means?" Marie said as she began to climb in her bed.

Melody bid her cousin goodnight, then went back to her own room, pondering about Marie and her ideas.

The next day, Marie stole out of the castle early in the morning to return to her mermaid home, but she left a note for her cousin. Melody read the note and then thought about the past few days, finally dealing with the implications of being betrothed to Nixa, someone she'd hardly met.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A few months passed and Melody was surprised that she hadn't heard from the Russian royal family in awhile and that she hadn't heard from Marie or some of her merfolk friends either. Still though she lived her life as well as she could, riding her horse as well as helping the servants prepare her trousseau. Finally a note arrived to say that a Russian sailing ship would be arriving in a few days to take her to Russia for the Summer to get to know the Romanov's and their kingdom better, as was custom. Melody then attempted to contact Marie via shell phone, but surprisingly couldn't contact her no matter how she tried.

One day when she rode down to the shore, where she was staring out across the sea, she suddenly heard a small splashing off to the side. When she looked around, she noticed that her cousin Mina was off to the side trying to get her attention.

"Hey Mina what's up? It's good to see you."

"Oh Melody its not good at all. You know our cousin, Marie? Well she disappeared a few weeks ago, soon after she came back to Alantica, after visiting you..."

"Disappeared? No wonder I couldn't contact her on her shell phone! Do you know where she went to?" Melody exclaimed.

"Well that's sort of why I came here. We found a note that said you'd know where she went, something about the old bayou and someone named Captain Tony...Does that sound familiar? Plus she might've even taken grandfather's trident." Mina asked.

"No its not true..." Melody gasped.

"Yes it is true...And grandfather isn't pleased because without his trident he couldn't deal very well with any problems since then. He said that because of that we aren't to have contact with any humans, not even your family. Still I knew that you just had to know since Marie came to visit you a few weeks ago." Mina said.

"Oh I'm so sorry about that and about everything..." Melody moaned as she looked out across the sea.

"Even so Melody, I'll keep you abreast of the issues of Marie and grandfather's trident. You don't happen to know where Marie or the trident might be, before I go." Mina asked quickly.

"The bayou...I think perhaps you should check the Gulf of Mexico. You might find Marie or at least the trident there. It's only a guess though..." Melody sighed nervously.

"I'll have to check on that! Thanks Mel..." Mina began.

Suddenly a messenger came running and Melody shooed her cousin away, who promptly swam behind a rock and off into the sea. The messenger handed her a note which said tat she was needed back at the castle for a meeting with her parents. Reluctantly, Melody left her spot, mounted her horse, and rode back to the castle, wondering what her parents wanted to talk to her about.

Melody arrived back at her parents' home in record time, and climbed the steps in a hurry, arriving in the drawing room a bit worse for wear. Her parents took note of it, but seemed bemused, despite their decorum.

"Ah there you are Melody dear, were you at the beach again? Hmm?" Ariel asked.

"Yes mum, dad. I'm sorry that I was a bit late." Melody replied.

"Yes you were, but you're forgiven dear. By the way, we have a few guests here. Meet Tsarevich Alexander III, Captain Zerkov, and his first mate. They are here to escort you to spend the summer with your betrothed and his family, to get to know him and his country better, before you are wed." Ariel introduced.

Melody curtsied to the guests and let them bow to kiss her hand in greeting. The captain and his first mate were typical men of the sea, older, with flecks of gray in their hair and a slightly weather beaten look to their skin. Tsarevich Alexander was courteous and handsome in his own way, though somewhat large, vaguely reminding her of a younger version of her grandfather, with much shorter hair and only a moustache.

"Pleased to meet you." Melody told each man at their greeting. Then she turned to her parents and commented, "So I'm to go and spend the summer in Russia now? Isn't it a bit early, being that it is barely April?"

"Well, Melody, they arrived now to take you on your voyage to visit the country of your betrothed, so now you will go. I'm sure you will like it and the Tsar & Tsarista will take good care of you, if you have any worries." Eric reassured his daughter.

"All right then, I will go. To see what the country is like as well." Melody replied.

And so, Melody went to her room to assist in the packing of her clothes and other items, so that they could leave the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next day, the sun dawned bright and clear as Melody boarded the ship that would take her to Russia and the Romanov's summer palace. The voyage began swiftly and in no time the waves were lapping along the side of the ship. Melody would lean against the railing and watch the waves roll into the horizon as the sun set in the evening. Most days she would promenade along deck, until it was meal time or late in the day.

One evening, Alexander sought her out in an attempt to lessen her worries.

"Hello Maria, I just wondered how you were doing and if you had any questions or concerns."

"Oh hello Alexander. Well yeah I am a little worried that your family might not like me. I know it probably seems silly..." Melody said shyly.

"Oh I think they'll like you well enough. Our father might seem a little rough around the edges, but he can be quite soft when he wants to be. Our mother is kind, though a bit delicate and sometimes some of our younger siblings can be a bit boisterous, but Nixa and I could always take care of them, so you have nothing to worry about. You'll make Nixa a wonderful wife." Alexander reassured her.

"That's good, since I was a bit concerned. I hope all goes well, because somehow I have a feeling..." Melody said.

"Ah it's just nerves. Come on and let's see if we can see the shore yet." Alexander said in a friendly fashion.

"Okay let's see what we can see." Melody said as she took his arm and strolled to the side of the deck.

As they watched the shoreline in silence, Melody suddenly interrupted their thoughts and asked.

"Will you be able to introduce me to your parents and show me around?"

"I'll introduce you, although I was under the impression that you had already met my father and brother...But still I'll introduce you to our family. After that though, I have a campaign I must attend to, so I'll be gone for awhile." Alexander explained.

"Oh that's too bad, but thank you for what you can do." Melody answered, as she looked toward the horizon as the land came into view.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When the land came into view, Melody waited patiently as the boat began to dock, although she had to return to her cabin to collect her possessions before she could disembark the ship, so she missed the ship's landing and the departing of some of the other passengers.

Melody heard a knock on her door and found it to be the first mate informing her that it was time to leave, so she gathered the last of her possessions and her reticle and departed the ship thus for. Alexander was there to escort her down to a waiting carriage that was richly decorated in blues, golds, and reds. They entered the carriage and were soon on their way down the road.

Although she was a little nervous, Melody was still excited as she spied out of the carriage windows to view the scenery they passed by. The land was a rich land, forested in some areas, less so in others, and many people working the land here and there. Melody wondered a bit over some of the peasants' dress, but didn't know what questions to ask.

Finally they arrived at a white castle along the Crimean Sea, where suddenly a burst of people exited and came out to greet them.

"Ah you're here! Alex I see you brought Nixa's bride all the way from her homeland to visit for the summer! How was the voyage?" the czar asked.

"As well as to be expected father." Alexander replied.

"Good good son! And ah who do we have here, our fair Maria?" the csar said as he kissed her hand.

"Ah yes sire...it's a pleasure to meet you too." Melody said nervously as she curtsied.

"Meet? Ah we've already met, haven't we girl? Well my good wife should have someone to show you to your room...actually where is Nixa? He should be here..." the csar began.

Suddenly a slim, handsome you man strode in with a sly smile on his face, as he walked slowly toward her as if he ruled the world already. He sauntered over and took Melody's hand in his and slowly raised it to his lips.

"Hello my fair Maria, we meet again...hmm..."

"Oh hello..." Melody gasped a bit surprised.

"Hmm...don't you recognize me? Though you do seem different somehow? Different than the charming young creature I met a few months ago...and more like the girl I remember from your childhood birthday party a number of years ago...Do you remember that?"

"Yes in fact I do! I remember how you caused such an uproar at the party, if I'm correct." Melody said

"If I remember correctly, the trouble was not my fault, for I distinctly remember a crab of some sort being involved. You don't happen to have any crustaceans in your pockets at the present, do you?"

"No of course not, Nicholas!"

"Hmm, Nicholas is such a formal name...you may call me Nixa or Nicky if you prefer..."

"Yes of course, Nicky..."

"Good, good my sweet...Let's say we retire for a stroll along the gardens, shall we?" Nicky said as he held out his arm for her.

Nicholas and Melody strolled along the beach, chatting about common matters, until they arrived at a cluster of rocks off to the edge of the shore. Nicholas seemed out of breath, so they decided to rest a while and Melody questioned him on his cough and sudden sallow complexion.

"Oh Nicky are you all right? You've grown pale though we've only walked a kilometer or two and that is surely quite the cough!" Melody said with concern.

"Oh its nothing to worry about...just a little cough...nothing to worry over." Nicholas explained.

"Still, have you seen a doctor about it?"

"Yes...but don't worry about it...it puts lines on your pretty little face that you don't need." he said reassuringly.

Suddenly two young boys and a girl came running up, interrupting the young couple as they stared out at the sea.

"Nixa, Nixa! Ooh is that your latest girlfriend? Does Tasha know?"

"Can you go take us swimming?"

"Papa said that..."

"Woah one at a time children! I'll answer you one at a time...All right I want you all to greet Princess Maria from Denmark, and yes she is my betrothed."

"Hello Princess Maria!" the children said in unison.

"Hello children." Melody greeted them.

"And dear, I would like to introduce you to my youngest siblings, so far, Duchess Maria, Duke Sergei, and Duke Paul. They're quite the rapscallions indeed!" Nicholas introduced, slightly less than enthusiastically.

"So Nixa can you take us swimming?" Paul asked.

"Maybe later children. Run along now I'm busy!" Nicholas began to shoo them off.

"Ooh if Tasha finds out you have a new girlfriend, she's gonna be upset! Sonja too! Can I have her for my girlfriend? Or maybe I can set her up with Alexei..." Sergei teased.

"Sergei you're too young for a girlfriend and Alexei doesn't need Tasha or Sonja! Just go, NOW!" Nicholas roared at his brother, before he succumbed to a fit of coughing.

"Oh, oh my Nicky are you all right?" Melody asked, with concern in her voice.

"Oh its...its nothing...Didn't I tell you they were rapscallions? Ah children, a necessary evil indeed!" Nicholas said.

"Necessary evil?" Melody questioned him.

"Oh well you know...heirs and all...but if you love children we can have many. My family is usually quite prolific, for I'm currently the oldest of seven. Have been so since my eldest sister died in childhood. Nasty stuff indeed." Nicholas sighed whistfully.

"Oh yes indeed, I'm so sorry..." Melody said as she stroked a lock of hair out of his face. She sat staring a moment, then drew back and said slyly "Your brother was mentioning about a Tasha and a Sonja?"

"Oh...ho...they are or should I say some ladies that I know...They needn't be a worry to you."

"Oh really?" Melody asked skeptically.

"Oh yes...only you can be my wife...Tasha and Sonja were only diversions to pass the time . I desire to be a one woman man, although it isn't uncommon for men of nobility to keep lovers on the side..." he said smoothly.

"What?! But that isn't proper!" Melody gasped.

"Ah but it is done all the time...but I won't do that to you my pet...unlike my father has done to my mother..." Nicholas said softly, pain edging his voice in the end.

"Oh dear. Did your father really do that to your poor mother?" Melody soothed.

"Ah yes. That and more... To be perfectly honest, sometimes I envy my brothers in that they can plan what they want for their futures, while I have been destined from birth to become the next Tsar. If I had my choice, I think that I would like to be an ambassador and sail around the world like my brother Alexander." Nicholas sighed.

"That sounds noble enough. Yes I too would love to be able to travel more too someday. Although perhaps I have been to a few places where you could never go." Melody said.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me you've nursed in the ghettos, like my mother has tended to do? Deplorable conditions there, so I've heard. Or perhaps you've been to a bawdy house...Don't tell me you've danced in one." Nicholas asked.

"No nothing like that! It was actually closer to the sea..." Melody said catiously.

"The sea? Like the exotic Spice Islands where the natives run around in practically nothing...and the women are very accomodating...Don't tell me you can do a dance like that." Nicholas asked excitedly.

"No not the Spice Islands...And no I don't know how to hula...Where I went was more under the sea. I went there when I was twelve, after I'd been banned from going to the shore until then." Melody explained.

"No Spice Islands...pity...but you went under the sea, like to the lost city of Atlantis or something? Ah I'd love to discover that...but it's just a tale...and I thought at your age you should be too old for fairytales." Nicholas purred as he leaned back and studied her seductively.

"No it wasn't a fairy tale, it was true whether you believe it or not." Melody sighed.

"Well...Maria I think it's time you lay aside your fairy tales...and let me teach you a thing or two." Nicholas slickly purred as he licked his lips and pulled her into a kiss.

Melody started to respond to his kiss and attempted to kiss him back, but when Nicholas' hands started to go too far, she pulled back and gasped.

"Why were you doing that? What gave you the right?" she gasped.

"You're my betrothed, so I can do what I like because I'm Tsar Nick!" Nicholas said haughty humor in his voice.

"You're not the tsar yet!" she exclaimed.

"Ah but soon very soon, my pet...And you will make a lovely tsarista indeed...truly lovely." he whispered as he attempted to seduce her.

"Well that may be true..." Melody gasped.

Suddenly, Nicholas' siblings came running back to tell them to come to dinner, interrupting his attempts at seduction, but Nicholas took it in stride and said "Ah yes duty calls time for dinner...and perhaps more time together after dinner my sweet." as he escorted her back to the castle.

Dinner went well for the most part, with good food & conversation and meeting the rest of the royal family. Melody was having a grand time, until she realized that despite Nicholas' attempts at seductively coy stares, his complexion was growing more pale, so that by the end of dinner he had to retire to his room alone to recuperate from his illness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The days flew by in the Romanov house, with Nicholas and his various family members entertaining her with games, carriage rides, trips to the shore, horseback rides and so forth. The young couple even posed for a royal portrait together. Melody truly enjoyed herself and soon began to feel a true kinship with the family and even the country itself seemed to pull at her heart. Still though what disheartened and concerned her were Nixa's bouts with illness and the cough that didn't seem to leave. She would sit at his bedside often during the hours or days he felt too weak.

One day, later in the month, a servant approached Melody and told her to come quickly because Nixa had desired to speak with her. When she arrived, she found him very weak, and ran to his side of assume care and mop his brow.

"Oh my dear you have come at last. You're so lovely, let me bask in your loveliness as a flower basks in the warm light of the sun, for I am not long for this world." he said weakly.

"Oh Nick don't say that. You'll get better, you'll see. Maybe I could make a mustard plaster that would help." Melody soothed.

"No, I'm afraid my dear that a mustard plaster will not cure what I have. The doctors have told me that I have tuberculosis and I don't have long for this world." Nicholas coughed.

"No! Oh dear no! That can't be true!" Melody cried.

"Yes I'm afraid so. But don't cry for me because parting is such sweet sorrow." Nicholas gasped.

"Oh...Nick...how can you do that to us?" Melody cried.

"Because I'm Tsar Nick..." he weakly teased.

"Oh Nick!..." she groaned.

"Wrong answer?...ha...no what I meant to say is that I love you and I'm sorry..." Nicholas very weakly gasped.

"Oh thank you..." Melody gasped.

"Good bye Maria...until we meet again my sweet..." Nick gasped as he breathed his last.

Distraughtly, Melody gasped and began to cry because although she had only truly known him a short while, she had grown to love him and him family. Sobbing could also be heard in the rest of the castle that night as his family learned of the tragic death of the Tsarevich.

The rest of the Romanov family attempted to comfort one another, but after awhile they realized that Melody needed to be sent back to her own family from where she could receive the best comfort during that sorrowful time. Melody's own parents Eric and Ariel sailed out to meet her and take her back to their home in Copenhagen.

~~**~~**~~

Time passed and Melody first recuperated from a bout of bronchitis and near pneumonia, brought on from her close proximity to Nicholas just prior to his death. She rallied through physically, but still had a number of emotional scars that she had to deal with during that year. She still felt guilt over the death of Nixa, as well as the subsequent disappearance of her cousin Marie, although she did eventually receive a letter telling about her efforts in healing wounds and helping at the end of that country's Civil War. Marie even told of the uproar that had occurred in the United States after the sudden assassination of their president, and she mentioned that she hoped that she would never have to experience the pain of such a loss, and she gave her sympathies over Nixa's sudden passing.

Melody felt glad after receiving her cousin's letter, but still felt melancholy over all and would ride her horse to the shore to watch the waves come in. Ariel became so concerned over her daughter's attitude that she knew she had to find a diversion for her. One she thought of was to bring in even a writer and story teller to get her mind on other things.

"Melody, honey, I know you've been down lately because of everything that has happened. Well I've invited someone here who is sure to cheer you up." Ariel said soothingly.

"Sure to cheer me up? Oh let me guess, you invited the circus to the castle. Are PT Barnum and his friend General Tom Thumb performing for the Crowned Heads of Europe again? If I have to watch Tom Thumb and General Nutt fight over Miss Livinia again..." Melody sighed and nearly rolled her eyes.

"No no nothing like that, although it was funny seeing Barnum's traveling show that time we did...ha ha...Anyway instead is a local talent, by the name of Hans Christian Andersen. You remember when we used to read some of his stories when you were young. I invited him to entertain some of the local children and I thought you might like to watch as well." Ariel said.

"Oh really, you got Mr. Andersen to come to the castle? That's interesting. Perhaps I'll meet with him, once." Melody sighed nonchalantly.

Melody walked into the small drawing room, where her youngest siblings, Harmonia and Frederick, as well as other servants' children, were drawn around a tall, spry late middle aged fellow with

wild, gray hair. He was telling various stories about the Ugly Duckling, the Princess & the Seven Swans, Thumbelina, and eventually a story that sounded quite familiar to Melody's ears, The Little Mermaid. Although quite compelling, Mr. Andersen's version of the story always ended so sadly, Melody thought, still in some ways it was so similar to her parents' story...she wondered if her mother ever told her story to Andersen in person.

After the stories, Andersen was swarmed by the children's questions, although eventually Melody was able to have a brief conversation with him during tea. Mainly they greeted each other and discussed minor pleasantries, and she answered a few of his questions he had about the Romanov family although she had to admit that she hadn't seen the Peterhof Palace yet. Andersen then wished her well and said that she would be in his prayers, which she thanked him. Just before he left, he also suggested that she use writing to keep track of her feelings and though, which she thought a good idea as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A few more months passed, and eventually a letter came from the Romanov family, addressed to Melody or "Maria." The letter gave greetings from the whole family, including the regret that she couldn't be their daughter-in-law because of Nixa's untimely death. They also mentioned that Alexander would be stopping by to check up on her in the near future. All of this touched her heart indeed.

A few weeks later, Melody had just come in from a ride and was strolling through the West Wing drawing room, which had been the dining room years earlier, when she noticed photographs and an odd object that looked like a strange set of opera glasses, laying on the table. She was just picking up the strange object, when a man cleared his throat behind her, causing her to almost drop it on the table.

"Oh you scared me, I'm sorry...hello sir..." she nervously said as she dipped to a curtsy.

"Hello...Maria?"

"Hello...Alexander is that you? It's a pleasure to see you again!" she smiled.

"No the pleasure is all mine." he said as he took her hand and kissed it.

Strangely enough, her hand seemed to grow warm at the spot where Alexander had kissed it, and so she rubbed it, thinking how strange since Alexander was practically like an older brother the last time they were together.

"So when did you arrive in port? I'd heard that you were arriving for a visit, but I hadn't known when." she asked nervously.

"We sailed in earlier this morning, and just arrived at the castle within the hour. That was a nice piece of horseflesh you came riding in on, Arabian?" he asked.

"Yes she's at least part Arabian, bred from some stock my father bought from a breeder. I had wanted an Apaloosa, but my father thought that would've been too difficult to acquire." she laughed.

"Apaloosa? Ha ha, that would be an interesting choice indeed! You are a good rider though, better than I'd thought. You can have your pick of any horse in our royal stable, save for my horse. I like to ride some too, inspect the troops and for my entertainment too." he said.

"That's most generous indeed, but wouldn't it be quite the cost to ship one of your stable's horses , to here, even as a gift?" she asked.

"Yes...well...maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Um, how do you like the photographs?" he asked.

"Oh yes the photographs, I thought they were quite life-like. But why are they doubled like that?"

"It's for the stereoscope. You see that instrument you were holding when I entered the room..."

"Yes..."

"Well you hold in your right hand like this, pick up a photograph in your other hand like this, and just slide the picture in like that, then raise it to your eyes to look." Alexander said as he stepped behind Melody and brought the stereoscope up to her eyes.

"Oh yes I see it now! Why, oh that's your family and our trip to the shore near their castle!" Melody said enthusiastically.

He helped here with a few more stereoscope photos, until Melody began to feel very aware of him standing behind her, and stepped away. She handed him the stereoscope to look at a picture she had a question over, then realized that she hadn't noticed the slightly blue hazel color of his eyes before, his slight mustache, or how strong he was either. Strength similar to her father or grandfather, which made her wonder what he looked like under his navy, military style jacket. Then she wondered why she'd even thought that because he was just Nixa's brother, Alexander.

Melody then suggested that they sit down on a settee off to the side too look at the photographs and reminisce about happier days in the past. They had just finished looking at most of the photographs, when Melody suddenly realized that Alexander was staring at her as well.

"What is it Alex? Don't tell me I have something on my face..." Melody chuckled coyly.

"Actually you do...right here..." he said as he lifted his hand in pretense to wipe a smudge from her cheek. Instead, his hand lingered there a moment, his thumb stroking gently across her cheekbone.

"I never realized you had such soft skin...or such blue eyes...you are quite lovely indeed." he said as he stroked her face.

"Thank you..." she stammered.

"Oh I'm sorry I shouldn't have taken such liberties with you. I'm not the poetic swain my brother was. I'm just me.." he mumbled slightly, as he drew out a clean handkerchief and gave it to her to use.

"Oh it's fine. There is a place for strong men too because it means you can weather any storm and that you're protective of what you ... care for." Melody said softly as she wiped her cheek with his handkerchief, catching the faint scent of his cologne on it.

"Do you truly think so?" Alexander asked expectantly.

"Well, yes I do." Melody whispered with a slight blush.

Alexander suddenly rose, walked across the room and began to make a speech, while staring out the window at the setting sun send it's dappled rays over the water in the bay.

"Before I left for here, my father brought it to my attention that since Nixa's untimely death, I am now the heir to the Imperial throne, and thus I need to someday produce an heir. He then reminded me of your situation, having been betrothed to my brother last year. He made a suggestion that I'm prone to agree with. My ship sails in a few days, and I would like you on it, if it is agreeable to you." he said as he turned around to gaze at her intently.

"Oh my, I don't know what to say..." Melody gasped.

"At least consider it. I know I'm not suave like Nixa, but I would be a good husband stalward & true, and I would try to make you happy." he said as he walked over and sat beside her, taking her hand in his.

"Oh Alexander, I'll think about it although I believe I agree that you could make me happy. I hope I can make you happy." she replied.

"I believe you can, in fact you already have." he replied.

"Yes...actually I believe that I could possibly have more than just the stirrings of something...that someday could turn into love. So, yes Alexander, I agree." she shyly admitted.

"Good! Oh Maria you make me a happy man!" he said.

"Actually Alex, I must be honest with you, my name is Melody, not Maria..." she admitted.

"Oh well I don't mind. Melody has a lovely ring to it, and I actually prefer it too, but my parents may continue to call you Maria, so don't be surprised." Alex chuckled.

Melody's family was soon alerted to her decision and entered the room to congratulate the couple. Eric and Ariel each gave their daughter a hug, with tears of joy in their eyes. They then all went to dinner, where they ate a sumptuous meal and planned for the future.

Several days later, Melody was all packed and was escorted by her parents to embark on the ship that would take her on her voyage to Russia. A throng of well wishers had gathered on the dock, amongst which even Hans Christian Andersen stood. Melody waved to Mr. Andersen, and he waved back. Melody briefly thought of him, but then her thoughts turned to her new life in Russia, and so the nervous butterflies returned.

Hans Christian Andersen continued to think on the young princess that day, and thus he wrote in his journal "Yesterday at the quay, while passing me by, she stopped and took my hand. My eyes were full of tears. What a poor child! Oh Lord, be kind and merciful to her! They say that there is a brilliant court in Saint Petersburg and that the tsar and his family are nice; still, she heads for an unfamiliar country, where people are different and religion is different and where she will have none of her former acquaintances by her side." while remembering the melancholy state he had observed her with.

Melody stayed in her stateroom for most of the journey, with daily strolls on deck in the morning to breathe in the fresh air. On the second morning out, Alex arrived at the door, much to Melody's surprise.

"Good morning my lady, good to see you looking well." he greeted her with a bow.

"Oh hello and good morning to you too Alex. You're looking well yourself." she greeted him.

"Care for a daily stroll? I heard it is good for the constitution and so forth. And I thought we should talk, get to know each other a bit more." he said, offering his arm.

"Yes indeed, I would be pleased to join you." she said as she took his arm and was led onto the forecastle deck.

The couple continued to stroll along talking about various aspects of the ship, the weather, and so forth, until he asked her about her family.

"So my dear, you seem to be able to handle traveling by ship well. Did you sail much as a youngster?" he asked her.

"Well, yes and no. I've always loved the sea...but I've only occasionally traveled a bit on my father's since I was twelve. There was...a family issue, lets say...which prevented me from going to the shore as a little girl within my parents' knowledge. Truthfully though, sometimes I did sneak off to swim in the sea." she admitted.

"Ah...I knew you had a wilder side. Banning you from the sea? Preposterous! Though with rules like that, I would've done the same myself as a lad. Bully for you!" he said then added slyly "Hmm I've heard some rumors about your family...so are they true?"

"Ha ha...what rumors would that be?" Melody asked nervously.

"Oh something about your family or your mother in particular, having...let's say, an unusual back-ground..." he teasingly inquired.

"Well in fact my mother does have an interesting history...though I don't know if you would believe me anyway." she said nervously.

Suddenly, Melody looked over the side ship and saw what looked like several merfolk riding giant seahorses along the side of the ship, then a giant shark swam after them as if chasing them. This caused a wake to form, which shifted the ship slightly, causing Melody to almost lose her balance.

"Try me...woah...steady on, are you okay? That was quite the wake, I wonder what could have caused it?" Alex asked as he helped her regain her balance.

"Oh it was probably nothing..." she stammered.

Suddenly the wake came again, although this time it was not only the merfolks, the seahorses, and the shark, but also a killer whale was also joining in on the fun. When Alex noticed the commotion from the corner of his eye, he started with an exclamation.

"Woah what was all that? I spotted an orca, but what was the rest of it? If it is a pod of whales we could make a killing on the blubber. Why here it comes agai..."

Suddenly Melody panicked, and wrapped her arms around his neck to distract him with a sudden kiss. When they broke apart, Alex chuckled down at her, saying "Ah that was nice and I see that you must no longer be mourning my brother Nixa's death. Any reason for the sudden display of affection?"

"Well...ha ha...I just felt like surprising you." Melody laughed nervously, whilst slyly checking for any other commotion from her extended family of merfolk.

Alex then peered off into the horizon and commented "Ah I see we've lost our whale. But perhaps we'll catch him another day."

"Y-yes perhaps another day...although I do dislike the image of you hunting sea creatures." Melody answered adamently.

"Ah do you have a fondness for the creatures of the sea, my dear?" Alex asked curiously.

"Oh yes most definitely! I think we should no longer hunt anything under the sea, or else you'll prove my grandfather's opinion of people, correct."

"Oh really? May I ask what your grandfather's opinion of people are?" he asked bemused.

"Well his opinion is that most hu...men...most men are just spineless, harpooning savages who rob the sea of its treasures in its precious sea-life." Melody tried to explain.

"Hmm, that is certainly a different opinion than I've heard before. Discontinuing the annual whale hunt would be certainly a revolutionary idea though, which I'll have to ponder over for awhile. Still conservation is a new idea though that is just starting to become recognized. You don't happen to have read any of Thoreau's works have you?" he wondered.

"No I don't think so." she answered.

"Well they are decent, though mostly bits of poetry. As far as reading, if you like whales you should read Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick or perhaps some works by Tolstoy or Dosdoyevsky, but some of their works might be a bit course for the delicate sensibilities of a lady such as yourself." Alex said as they strolled along.

"Oh I believe perhaps you under estimate my sensibilities, dear sir." she said coyly as the strolled along.

"Oh really? Perhaps we should discuss some of this over dinner, if you should care to join me?" Alex declared as they strolled off deck to a small dining area.

The young couple ate and chatted over various matters, including literature, their families to an extent, the length of the journey remaining, which was only another day. After the meal, Alex courteously led her back to her cabin and bid her farewell.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next day passed quickly, and before she knew it, Melody was being led off of the ship and into a waiting carriage that carried herself and Alexander to the royal palace, where his family awaited. Melody hadn't seen Tsar Alexander II or Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna, nor any of their children in a while, so it was good to see them again.

Alexander was often needed for other matters of royal importance, so he was called away, while Melody learned to know her new in-laws better. She surprised by the opulence of the Palace in St. Petersburg, the rooms, place settings, and china. The family even commissioned a new wardrobe for her from their royal seamstresses because the climate in their part of Russia was colder at times than it became in Denmark. As well a wedding ensemble needed to be created for the grand occasion, so of course the seamstresses worked on that as well.

Before they knew it, the day of her wedding dawned. Melody was rushed along, dressed, coiffed, and led to the impressive Imperial Chapel of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. The loveliness of the venue was not lost on Melody as she walked down the aisle and demurely stared around at it all, before finally resting her eyes on Alex, giving him a smile. The ceremony went by in a blur, and before they knew it, they were wed.

After the ceremony, a grand reception ball was held in the ballroom. When the courtiers announced their names, Melody almost didn't realize it, until Alex nudged her and whispered in her ear that it was their turn. The young couple then approached the dance floor for their first dance, Alex looked down at her and whispered "Ah Melody are you nervous?"

"Well a little bit."

"You don't have to be, it's only a dance."

"Well I don't really like to dance that much..."

"Well to be honest, I don't either, but its a necessity for royal functions. Anyway relax, it'll go smoothly...as long as you don't have a crab hidden on you anywhere..." he joked.

"Crab? Oh did your brother tell you about that from my childhood birthday party, years ago?" she laughed.

"Well actually I was there too, although I was just a kid off to the side. It seemed funny, but if I remember I did feel a little bad when you ran off like that." he said.

"Thank you. Anyway rest assured, you don't have to worry this time, because I know I don't have any crabs or other crustaceans on my body today." she exclaimed.

"Ha ha that's good to hear. You don't have crabs, that's excellent to hear, although I'll have to do a thorough inspection later my dear, to prove you correct." he coyly joked as he pulled her closer.

"A thorough inspection? Why? Don't you believe me?" she naively commented.

"Ha ha, the fact that you ask that belies your innocence. Still though it will be most fun checking." he laughed as he spun her around closely.

"If you say so..."

"Ha ha my dear wife, you're so innocent yet, which is one reason I love you." he chuckled as he pulled her close and kissed the side of her cheek.

Later that night, they briefly went their separate ways and Melody was led to her chamber, which connected to Alex's by a door. Her chambermaid helped her undress, then dress in a long white gown and a royal robe with blue and gold embroidery. After dressing, she noticed a note on a tray, which when she read it was from Alex, bidding her to meet him in his chamber.

She entered the room and noticed the large bed with its draperies to keep out the cold on the cold and drafty nights, the plus carpets, and the strong bold bureaus and other cabinets in the room. Melody knew the purpose of marriage, she wasn't as naïve as her mother had been on her wedding night, but she was still a bit nervous nonetheless and figured that it was probably something to be endured for the sake of the kingdom.

Melody had just sat on the edge of the bed, when she sensed his presence and looked up to see her husband standing in the doorway in his own royal robe and slippers that were a somewhat masculine version of what she wore.

"Oh hello Alexander. Nice robe and slippers." she nervously giggled.

"What you don't like them?" he asked.

"Oh they're nice, and mine is quite comfortible so thank you. I just found it funny that we match. Sorry if that offended you." she said demurely.

"Oh you don't need to apologize. Ha ha, yes it is rather funny that they thought we should match." Alex laughed.

"They?"

"Oh just my family. I love them, but sometimes their ideas are rather unusual. Don't worry about that. Anyway, how are you? Nervous..." he asked, with emotion in his voice.

"Yeah a little bit, though I know it needs to to be done, for the good of the kingdom." she said flatly.

"For the good of the kingdom? Ha ha oh you! Hmm, maybe I should do that crab inspection like I said I would." he chuckled slyly.

"Yeah about that, what do you mean? I told you I wasn't hiding any crabs on me this time." she exclaimed.

"Hmm, well I'd like to find out for myself. Remove your robe." he said slyly.

"Okay, well see no crustaceans in the sash of my robe, and as you can tell all I have on now is my nightgown." she said as she spun around.

Suddenly he stepped forward and picked her up and carried her over to the bed and set her down on it, while she laughed at him.

"Why you do that?" she laughed.

"Well I don't believe you yet. So I thought this is the best place to find out myself." he said as he stretched out beside her.

"Oh really?" she said slyly.

"Mmmhmm...though I think your lips need attention first." he said as he gazed at her intensely.

"Oh you think so? Well you better remedy that don't you think?" she said coyly.

He then leaned down and began kissing her passionately, but when he began running his hands over her, she pushed him away and laughed.

"Hey what are you doing, I'm ticklish." she laughed.

"Checking you for crustaceans...Are you ticklish?" he chuckled.

"Yes extremely, in certain places anyway." she laughed.

"Oh really? Hmm, I wonder if I can find out. Are you ticklish here? Or here?" he teased as he tried to tickle her at various spots on her body.

"Yes...he he stop...hey what's that?"

"Oh maybe its a crab...traveling up your leg..." he teased.

"Yeah right a crab, that's your hand on my hip and your thumb...oh my..." she gasped.

"Mmmhmm, well Melody you are my wife and I can definitely tell that you definitely don't have crabs, but you are definitely sweet indeed." he said as he began to kiss her and continued to touch her.

After a few moments, but before she let him go any further, she whispered "...I think I want to see what you look like too. Take off your robe."

"My pleasure my dear..." Alex said as he removed his robe to let her see what he looked like.

Melody let her gaze travel from her husband Alex with his strong features, to linger on his chest muscles, abdomen, and so forth. The candle light played off of the curves of his body, hiding some parts while revealing others, but nonetheless what she saw was very good indeed. When Alex held his wife close, removed her gown, and taught Melody the physical pleasantries of marriage, they both knew it was right.

Afterward, they chatted a bit, laying in each other's arms.

"Now dear what did you think? That wasn't so bad." he purred.

"No, no it wasn't. At least I wasn't quite as naïve as my mother told me she was on her wedding night." Melody sighed.

"Really?" he teased skeptically.

"Yes, she was a venerable fish out of water. She had never even seen a man before, and so she was in for a surprise." she laughed.

"Oh and you've seen a man before?" he asked slyly.

"Well I do have little brothers which I had to help change their diapers." she answered.

"Oh brothers, okay. But still what did you think about me?" he asked coyly.

"You dear sir are quite adequate indeed. A dashing figure of a man indeed." she said coyly, running her fingers across his chest.

"Only adequate..." he teased.

"And insatiable, you bear." she teased.

"Grrr..." he playfully growled.

"Ah you...ha ha...do you want some more honey...hmmm?" she playfully teased as she turned in to his embrace.

Later in the night, Alexander even wrote to record his wedding day for his personal and historical records, but fortunately kept most descriptions of their night together to himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

One morning, a few days later, Melody awoke to her husband, standing beside the window, drawing the dark damask drapery aside.

"Darling wake up, you must see this." Alex beckoned, his voice low.

"What is it? I'm cold and it feels better here buried undercover." she moaned grumpily.

"Oh do you want me to come over there to keep you warm?" he purred.

"Maybe...hmmm...I'm comfortable enough here." she complained sleepily.

"Hmm...well dear perhaps I'll join you soon enough, but first come over here to the window and look out, for a moment, then I'll tell you some of my ideas for the day." he said.

"All right, I'll see what you're talking about..." Melody sighed, as she slipped her robe on and walked over to stand beside her husband to see what he was so excited about.

Melody leaned against Alex, as he wrapped an arm around her as they peered from behind the drape and he pointed out the window, saying "There, do you see it dear? See what happened last night?"

Melody blinked and rubbed her eyes from the glare of the sun streaming in through the windows as she peered out of them, to where Alex was pointing. "Oh yes...I see it now...It snowed! It's beautiful, but dear I have seen snow before because it did snow in my homeland from time to time as well."

"Ha ha...Ah that might be true, but my dear you haven't seen snow until you've experienced a Russian snow! Snow so deep that a man could get lost stepping into it in places, yet so beautiful it is as if God frosted the earth like a giant cake. In some places it is so cold that you would freeze off your nose and your toes, if you're not careful." he laughed.

"Cold enough to freeze off my nose and toes? Surely you're joking..." she queried.

"No I'm not joking...but not since Napoleon invaded has this area been that cold. No my dear, winter that fierce is relegated to the wilds of Siberia these days. Still, if old man winter should decide to sneak up on you my dear, I'll be sure to keep you warm." Alex said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Thanks for saying that dear, that is a lovely gesture." she sighed as she cuddled against him, then went on "Mmmm...Still though, you mentioned about plans for the day?"

"Oh yes plans...Hmm...Standing here with you now has me thinking of other sort of plans, if you know what I mean...But I did recently speak with the rest of my family, and we were all wondering if you have ever been ice skating before? If you would like you, I'd definitely be your instructor." he murmured in her ear as he held her close.

"Ice skating. I don't think I've been ice skating for ever so long, at least since I was a child. My brothers and I attempted when we were children, and I think my younger sister tried it a time or two when we were on holiday, but my mother never wanted to try. She said that frozen water made her uneasy because she always thinks about the poor creatures who sometimes get trapped under the ice." Melody sighed happily.

"Your mother is afraid of ice? She never fell in a frozen lake before, when she was younger?" he inquired.

"Well, yes and no...it's rather complicated...Well you know what I mean..." she sighed.

"Oh yes what you told me about your mother being a mermaid...Oh ha ha, I thought that you had drunk a bit too much champagne the other night and were relating another version of your favorite childhood fairytale." he asked coyly.

"Oh but it is true, my mother told me so!" she gasped.

"Really? Well no matter your mother's story, I still want to take you ice skating and perhaps for a sleigh ride if you would like. We'll do it right after breakfast, if that is fine with you." he whispered in her ear.

"Oh that sounds fine. Yes okay right after breakfast." she sighed.

"Good...then maybe when we get back here, curl up in front of the fire, have something hot to drink, and then..." he whispered in a low purr in her ear.

"Ah, ha ha...that sounds very nice, very nice indeed." Melody chuckled softly to her husband as he held her.

Later in the morning, Alex and Melody ate breakfast in the dining room, fending off comments and teases from Alex's various family members, but it was all in good humor. Eventually the younger members begged Alex to take them to the skating rink across the property, which he agreed to. And so they all bundled up warmly, taking several sleighs and cutters to the site of the skating rink.

The little band of skaters trudged through the hard packed paths that the servants had dug through the snow drifts, until they reached the skating rink. Most of the family sat on logs, strapping ice skate blades to their shoes and boots with leather thongs, then taking to the ice instantaneously. When Melody and Alex sat on their log, Alex knelt down before her, drawing out a slim brown cardboard box he'd been carrying under his coat.

"What is that? What are you doing?" she chuckled as she asked.

"It is just a gift I had crafted especially for your delicate foot m'lady. Let me help you." he said gallantly, as he took her foot and began to unlace the boots she was wearing.

"Oh my, Alex you truly can be a prince charming when you want to be." she chuckled.

"When I want to be? And what am I the rest of the time?" he asked coyly.

"Oh I don't know...a beast...a big old bear." she teased.

"Oh really? Then I'll just have to eat you up my little honey cake...Grrr..." he huskily growled as he teasingly bit at her foot.

"Ha ha stop that...and finish with my skate, please." she chuckled.

"Ha ha...yes ma'am." he chuckled as he finished lacing her skate.

"Thank you dear. These skates are lovely, but how do I get up?" she asked as she admired her new skates.

"Wait a bit until I'm done, then I'll help you..." he said as he finished lacing his own skates, then stood in front of her, reaching out his hands and pulling her to her feet.

"Up you go...All right dear just hold onto my hands and relax...and you'll get your balance...there you go! Good girl!" Alex said as he pulled Melody along on the ice.

"Yeah I think I'm getting it now. Oh Alex this is fun although it is sort of difficult to balance...but I think I am getting it!" she laughed as she gradually found her balance on the ice.

Suddenly Alexander's younger siblings Alexei, Sergei, and Paul raced around them, chasing each other teasingly. Then Sergei laughed and teased "Oh Alexander's Minnie is a chicken and can't skate...bawk bawk!" while he skated circles around them, flapping his arms all the while.

"Oh...ahh..." Melody panicked.

"Oh ha ha you're doing good...good...you are doing a good job, dear. Don't worry about the other skaters, especially Sergei, and just concentrate on your balance and you'll do fine." Alex said soothingly as he helped her skate.

"How about this...Yeah I got you...Okay just lean back against me and we'll just glide...glide..." he coaxed as he switched positions, skating behind her and having her lean back against him as they skated along. They skated like that for a few moments, until Alex suddenly growled "Okay do an axle!"

"What? What do you mean? I can barely skate!" she laughed nervously.

"You're fearless, you can do it! It's just like ballet!" he playfully growled.

"But I've never taken ballet lessons! I can barely waltz!" she chuckled a bit more nervously .

"Oh ha ha do I have to teach you everything? Okay, we will waltz on the ice, just follow my lead." he chuckled as he pulled her close, then held her in a perfect waltz hold.

They skated along like that around, making turns and twists, gliding around and around. Melody looked up into his face and stared into his eyes as he looked down as her, then he asked her "So what do you think now?"

"Oh Alex it is fun, waltzing on the ice. Thank you." she said as she rested her cheek on the front of his coat as he chuckled and said "Skating is enjoyable. It's as easy as breathing, if you have the right partner."

She then looked up at him again and he looked down at her, and with an urge too strong to resist, their lips met in a poignant kiss as they skated along. Unfortunately they weren't looking, when the next thing they knew, they were skating off the edge of the pond and into a snow drift.

"Oh dear...what happened? That was quite a kiss!"

"Ha ha that was quite the kiss, but I think we skated into a snow bank."

"Oh I'm sorry if I distracted you and we ended up buried in the snow."

"Well it was a pleasant distraction dear, so if kissing you means that we end up in the snow, then I don't think I mind at all...especially if I can do this." he teased as he kissed her again, pinning her down.

Melody didn't mind, but then remembered that her young brothers-in-law and sister-in-law were watching, so to quell any further embarassment, she picked up a handful of snow and stuffed it down the back of his shirt, which felt gaping open slightly.

"Hey what'd you do that for?" Alex suddenly sat up and growled.

"Ha ha, well kind sir your lady thought thou doth needed to cool thy ardor in the presence of thy siblings." she teased as she moved away from him and stepped out of his reach.

"Oh she does? Well m'lady should watch out or thy shall cool her ardor as well." he teased as he started to chase after her.

Melody laughed as she attempted to escape Alexander's pursuit, but the ice skates were a bit cumbersome in the snow, so he soon caught up with her and attempted to push snow down the neck of her dress, while she laughed that she forfeited his advances.

When Alexander's siblings caught up to them and started to tease them and throw snowballs, a small good natured battle ensued, until Alex pulled Melody up into the nearest sleigh and whipped the team into a trot to escape the children's onslaught of snowballs.

"Woo good escape! We just made it!" she laughed as she collapsed in the sleigh.

"Well I wouldn't sigh with relief until we can escape Alexei and Sergei in their cutter." Alex said as he pushed the horses down a path along the edge of the woods. They then traveled a bit further on, until Alex slowed the team to a slow trot through the woods.

"Oh yes Melody my dear riding through the woods with you reminds me of the old legend of the corpse bride." he slyly mentioned.

"Legend of the corpse bride? What's that all about?" she asked nervously.

"Well legend has it that once upon a time a young couple and their wedding party were riding through the woods in sleighs after their wedding, having a pleasant time after all of the good food and drink, when the party was suddenly besieged by mystical wolves who chased down their conveyances and attacked the party. The next day all they found was the broken sleigh and the bride's veil and gown snagged on a tree limb, floating in the breeze. So if you ever hear the howl of a monster wolf..." he

teased her gruffly.

"Oh Alex don't frighten me so! Now every time I hear a wolf or even a dog howl..." she moaned.

"You'll be scared? Ah don't be, as long as we have this." he exclaimed as he patted the rifle under the seat of the sleigh.

"You actually brought a gun?" she said incredulously.

"Of course, because despite the story mostly being a legend, a stray wolf here or there is always a threat...or a stray Bolshevik..." he said, his voice slightly on edge.

"A stray Boll-sha-vick?" she asked curiously.

"Just a type of revolutionary...you don't need to worry about it right now..." Alex said as he cautiously led the sleigh toward home.

Suddenly a low howl was heard from the edge of the woods. Melody suddenly became nervous and asked her husband "Uh oh what was that?"

"Oh probably nothing...Just keep an eye out though." he said as his eyes cautiously swept the landscape around them.

Suddenly the lone howl was joined by several others, which was soon followed by several pairs of glittering eyes watching them behind a copse of trees to the right of the trail they were following. The wolves began slowly, stealthily gliding out of the woods, their sleek black and gray bodies seeming to glow in the sunlight.

"W-wolves! Oh no I'm gonna end up like the corpse bride!" Melody moaned in panic.

"Not if I can help it! Oh but I have only so much ammunition...Oh I thought we had more shells in the sleigh." Alex growled, slightly panicked.

"Oh no! Those wolves are going to slay us in a sleigh." she panicked.

"Get a hold of yourself dear! We'll try to get them into the clearing, then see if any of my brothers or any of the guards can come around to help us in the attack." he strategized.

"All right if you say so. I hope this works." he said nervously as he led the sleigh onward along the trail.

Suddenly the wolves began to seemingly press in on all sides, which worried Alex to no end. He knew that he needed to act fast, but he was only one man versus a pack of about a half dozen wolves. He glanced at his wife and asked, "You don't happen to know how to handle a gun do you?"

"A gun? No, but I do think that I might be able to handle the team..." she stammered.

"Really?" he answered surprised.

"Y-yes my mother sort of taught me. You firmly grip the reins and guide the horses as they go." she said as she grabbed the reins from him.

"Fine then. Just be careful." he said as he primed his rifle.

Melody threaded the reins through her gloved fingers, wrapped them around her hands as the horses began to bolt down the trail. Still though she held them steady as they began to race haphazardly through the woods, over trail, around trees, rocks, and a small stream, as the wolves followed in hot pursuit of their sleigh. Melody soon began to forget her nervousness and drove on to escape the wolves, as Alexander steadied his gun and let loose a few rounds at the wolf he thought was the leader led the pack.

Suddenly a lone gray wolf was sleekly running along their sleigh, with cold coal black eyes staring at her, seeming to try to nip at her skirt. Suddenly they entered the outer border of the castle, where guards were rushing to their aid. Still though, they weren't quick because at seemingly the last moment, when the wolf was ready to leap into their sleigh causing Melody to scream, Alexander whipped around her and shot the wolf right between the eyes, causing it to roll on itself in a bloody mess, and the others in the pack to attack the leader.

Moments later Melody pulled the sleigh into the courtyard and turned to her husband, into whose arms she collapsed. Melody and Alex both felt like weeping after their ordeal with the wolves, but only Melody displayed her tears in public, while Alex held his emotions in check until they retired to their rooms that evening. Fortunately they retired early that evening, resting in front of the fire, then in bed, cuddling together and dealing all of the emotional drama they'd experienced that day.

"Oh that was quite the day! You were wonderful my dear, handling the horses like the way you did, so that I could get a clear shot of of those wolves as I did!" Alex beamed.

"Do you really think so? It was rather fun driving those horses, racing like that up around, dodging trees, rocks, gullies, and the wolves! Why it was great fun, but still though I was rather scared of that wolf that came too close for comfort to our sleigh." she laughed nervously.

"Oh you were scared of that little old wolf? Well then it was a good thing that I had my rifle so that I could take care of him, right between the eyes. Poor fool never knew what was coming." he laughed.

"Well I was sorry to see it perish like that, all a rolling bloody mess. It was disgusting!" she cringed at the memory.

"He was the leader of the pack, so it needed to be done. I wanted to protect you, and make certain that the old legend didn't come true." he admonished.

"Yes that's true, although I do feel sorry about the animal." she said.

"Well sometimes things like that have to be done. Anyway, perhaps we should go for another sleigh ride sometime, but I'll remember to take more guards to keep the wild animals at bay. Does that sound good to you?" he asked her.

"Oh yes, that sounds fine. I loved the sleigh ride, even especially the excitement of racing it, but I'd rather not be chased by wolves at our heels the next time. Thinking about those wolves makes me shutter! Oh love just hold me!" she laughed.

"Ha ha, fine then I'll see what I can do." he chuckled as he bid her goodnight.

The next morning despite the drama of the previous day, levity hadn't entirely abandoned them. That was especially true when Melody woke up to Alex throwing snow down the back of her nightgown, which caused a merry chase around the bedroom and other pleasant morning activities where they needn't have to worry about cooling their ardor for each other.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the seasons for all of the holiday balls and parties that society demanded from the royal family. Most of Melody's holiday gowns had been commissioned from the creative hands and minds of the royal seamstresses when her royal trousseau was created, so she only had to concern over the fittings of one gown. The Tsarina and the Grand Duchess Maria however needed several new gowns, much to consternation of the seamstresses because of the taste of their tastes.

"My daughter and I require gowns of the highest quality. No cheap materials, we only want the best!" the Tsarina proclaimed.

"Oh yes of course ma'am. We have some lovely styles that have just come in from France and even the United States. We have a lovely Catherine Danby gown that would just suit you..." a seamstress explain.

"Posh! I want something regal, and original! With flounces! I require flounces!" the Tsarina declared.

"Perhaps lace over silk?" the seamstress asked.

"Yes that will do. I want the finest gown at the ball and I'll make it worth your while as well. I want to stand out at the party! I want every other woman there to die of envy when they see my gown!" the Tsarina proclaimed.

Listening to the conversation, Melody stifled a groan and almost rolled her eyes when she tried to imagine a ballroom with the Tsarina sweeping through, ladies dropping to the floor in death as she passed by. Did people never listen to the words they spoke?

"What about the bodice, m'lady?" the seamstress asked, moving on in her questions.

"It should be low because I want my husband to take notice that I still have a girlish figure, and I mean for him to remember the fact." the Tsarina said rather smugly.

Melody looked skeptically at the Tsarina, who seemed to be in her fifties at least, her girlish figure a matter of opinion. The seamstress interrupted her thoughts when she described creating a gown which was low and off the shoulder, with vertical pleats across the bodice meant to accentuate the bosom, done in the corsage a la Grecque style. The Tsarina wholeheartedly agreed to that, especially when the seamstress explained that although the style was popularized in the forties, she'd update the look for the sixties and that she knew that a vaguely similar styled gown had once been created for Queen Victoria, however the Tsarina's gown would be entirely original.

"Oh that simply sounds divine! Yes I commission that to be the style of my gown!"

"Yes and I will create the sleeve to be elbow length, with flounces of lace trailing down to match the flounces on the skirt, like this!" the seamstress explained.

"Oh so perfect! I cannot wait for its creation, I wish I possessed the gown today!" the Tsarina cooed.

The seamstress waited a moment, then asked "What color would you prefer?"

"Something royal, like burgundy or perhaps gold velvet...Yes gold would suit me quite nicely, with white fox fur trim, wouldn't you agree?" the Tsarina pondered.

"We will have to see what is available from the next shipment from France...but I will inquire about the gold velvet or similar material at the soonest possible convenience. As far as the fox fur trim...ma'am have you ever considered a fox fur stole instead? I could commission such a piece from the furrier and have it finished in coincidence to the dress, so that your ensemble may be complete." the seamstress explained.

"Oh yes, that is excellent! This is quite exciting! There is another stipulation that I have, which is that there must not be another gown made from the same material as my creation. I must insist!" the Tsarina happily exclaimed.

"I will do my utmost to meet your request, my queen." the seamstress bowed.

Suddenly another seamstress emerged from the a side room with Duchess Maria in tow. The young woman walked with a regal air, yet became even more demure in the presence of her mother. Melody was a bit surprised at this and thought that she should make more of an effort to better befriend her young sister-in-law.

The other seamstress interrupted everyone's thoughts when she explained her suggestions for the Grand Duchess' gown. "I have collected several fabric swatches of the colors and fabrics I have in mind. For the Grand Duchess' gown, I would suggest a lavender or a dusty rose because it would make a good show against her creamy complexion. We can even do a contrasting color for the piping along the sleeves, neckline, and bodice seams like this..." she said as she showed a sketch of the gown to the Tsarina.

"Oh yes that sounds scrumptious indeed! My, I envy you young women. If I were a girl that age once more, I could certainly give you a run for your money!" the Tsarina exclaimed haughtily, as she glanced toward both her daughter and Melody.

Finally it was Melody's turn to consult with the seamstresses, and fortunately for her the decisions went smoothly and soon the perfect gown was created. A beautiful blue watered silk with the right amount of flounces, set in sleeves, a square neckline, and a chapel length train on a skirt that hung atop wire hoops, that created a smaller bell and just the hint of a bustle.

The Tsarina gave her opinion, saying that it should prove to be an adequate dress, but nothing special compared to her own gown which she determined would be the best and outshine all others. Afterward, the seamstresses left, and the Tsarina, the Grand Duchess, and Melody took their tea in the solarium, to bask in the warmth of the sun in that room among the plants, and to discuss their plans for upcoming party season.

A few days later, Melody found her sister-in-law, Maria, sitting in the library reading a book, so she decided to chat with her.

"Hello Maria, so what are you reading there? Is it interesting?"

"Oh hello Minnie. Oh I'm just reading a book of poetry, although I probably should be doing my needlepoint, as is befitting a princess." Maria said as she placed the book into a pocket in her skirt.

"Ha ha, you get that too? 'as befitting a princess' If I hear that line again, I think I'll scream! Oh surely there is something you'd rather be doing than needlepoint? Tell me what is it?" Melody playfully pleaded.

"Actually I like needlepoint...but if I'm perfectly honest I believe I would rather be ice skating or reading or solving math equations or something else..." she said wistfully.

"Math equations? Really?" Melody asked skeptically.

"Well maybe...but I dunno..." Maria mused.

"Hmm...Well if I could be doing anything at all, I think I would much rather be sunning myself on a beach on a deserted island and swimming in the deep blue sea with my friends and family...and perhaps I would invite your brother along, because that might be quite fun." Melody contemplated.

"Why would you want to take Paul or Sergei to the beach? They're just silly boys..."

"Paul or Sergei? Very funny. I meant Alexander!" Melody exclaimed.

"Oh I knew who you meant, but why you would want to be stranded on a deserted island with Alexander is beyond me because he's such a bore anymore sometimes...I don't what you'd even do..." Maria sighed.

"Well he's not always that boring. I can think of a few things that might be interesting..." Melody said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Oh yeah that...ha ha...although ew I can't imagine you doing it with my brother!" Maria laughingly cringed.

Melody just chuckled to herself until Maria interrupted with another question. "All right Minnie, I'll try not to think about Alexander, but anyway in general how is it?"

"It's good, sometimes really good, but somehow not exactly how I expected. Its a connection to someone else unlike any other, its not just physical, but its also like part of you is given to the guy on some other level. Its rather difficult to describe...somehow...and personally I agree it should be saved for marriage. Anyway you probably should be discussing this with your mother." Melody described wistfully adamant.

"Really? Wow! Anyway my mother never wants to discuss things like that with me because its beyond the bounds of proper society, or so she says, so it was good talking about it with you, even if your descriptions are a bit vague." Maria said.

"Ha ha, you asked me about my opinion, not the mechanics of it! Surely you have an idea about what it takes to create a baby." Melody laughed.

"Of course, I'm not that naïve!" Maria gasped.

"Okay, well that's all you need to know for now." Melody teased.

"Oh Min-nie!" Maria sulked.

"Do you really want to know what your brother and I do when we're alone?" Melody teased.

"Oh yeah...uh I don't know...Oh I think I hear mother calling...uh maybe we can talk again another time...Later Minnie..." Maria said as she hurried out of the room, as Melody just sat there chuckling to herself.

A few weeks later was the Christmas Ball, which was a much anticipated event indeed. The entire palace made preparations for the big event by decorating the palace and themselves in their finery. Melody was a little nervous about participating in her first Christmas Ball with her husband Alexander and his family.

On the evening Melody fairly glowed in her new blue ball gown as her chambermaids assisted her with dressing. She was just getting the finishing touches, when her husband walked in and leaned in the doorway.

"Hello my dear you look quite lovely tonight. That gown becomes you indeed." he drawled.

"Thank you darling, you look quite dashing yourself tonight. Hmm is that your military dress suit?" she asked as she turned toward him.

"Ha ha this old thing? Yes it is? What do you think? It isn't too much?" he asked nonchalantly.

"No I think its just right. The jacket rather reminds me of one my father had in his younger years, but I do like navy blue on you because its much more dashing...even with all of the epulettes and even a decorative sword!" she teased as she drew it from the scabbard and examined the blade.

"Hey be careful with that or you could get hurt." he chuckled as he attempted to grab if from her.

"Aw I just wanted to look at the blade. Oh this is fine workmanship even if it is only decorative. Do you know I once took fencing lessons?" she laughed.

"Really?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes it was when I was a girl of about eleven or twelve, this old man, who said that he was part Spanish but grew up in the New World, came to my father's castle and gave me lessons after I caught him fighting this other guy. His name was...let me think...Diego De La Vega and he told me I was quite good if I kept practicing. He said that using a foil can be just like a paintbrush. Do you want to see the trick he taught me?" she excitedly commented.

"All right, if you just put the sword down." he commented.

"Okay here goes..." Melody said as whipped the foil and in a few strokes carved the letter M in the wainscoting on the wall. "..He he that was fun! Yeah old Diego was a sly old fox...I wonder whatever happened to Mr. or should I say Senor De La Vega?"

"Melody?! You carved an 'M' in the wall? Ha ha nice, but that's enough, give me the sword." Alex laughed.

"Try to take it from me." she said coyly.

Although she tried to playfully avoid him, Melody was taken by surprise when Alex sneaked up behind her and grabbed for the sword, but she was too fast and threw the sword like a knife across the room until the blade stuck in the bed post, the handle quivering.

He playfully pulled her against him, until she could the buttons on his jacket pressing against her back through her gown, as he huskily whispered in her ear "Ha ha good one darling. You're lucky this time because a lady should never touch a man's sword, unless she expects to get poked...hmm..." as he then kissed her on the neck and she knew his meaning exactly, causing her to chuckle.

Suddenly they heard a knock on the door and a servant tell them that they had only a few minutes until they were expected at the ball. This caused Alex to chuckle and say "Ah I'd love to given you a private fencing lesson right if we had the time, but perhaps after we've put in an appearance at the family Christmas Ball for a bit, we can come back here and we can have a lesson in swordplay of or sort or another...hmm...?"

"Oh ha ha, hmm you're something else. Yes back here for a fencing lesson indeed...It should be entertaining indeed." she chuckled, as he escorted her from the room.

The couple entered the ballroom just in time to hear the page announce Tsarevich Alexander Alexanderovich and Tsarista Maria Feodorovna. Melody was still unused to her new royal name and title, but had to roll with it as she greeted her guests and people. For the most part the party was a hit with everyone, and the guests were treated to the finest food, decorations, spirits, and music. Melody still found the glittering décor of the ballroom to be a sight to behold, especially with all of the gentry and royalty in attendance. When the Tsarina made her appearance in her new gown, many took notice, but no women literally "died with envy" like she'd claimed.

When Melody thought of that comment, she chuckled, causing her husband to ask "So what do you find so amusing?" while they danced.

"Oh just a comment I suddenly remembered your mother had made when she ordered that gown she's wearing. She said that she thought that the other women would 'die of envy' when they saw her in it, then I pictured that literally happening and I found it grotesquely humorous, do you know what I mean?" Melody commented.

Alex just chuckled "Ha ha, yes I know what you mean! Don't tell my mother that though because she probably made that comment because of my father's lovers...and wouldn't you know one happens to be here now."

"Really? Where?" she asked peering around at the guests in attendance.

"Two o'clock, woman with the hair..."

"And the gold velvet and lace on her dress as well! Oh dear this is going to be quite the scene, especially since the other woman's gown has some of the same material as your mother's gown, even after she requested from the seamstresses that no other woman use that material for her gown!" Melody gasped.

"Looks like my father isn't the only thing that woman and my mother share. Looks like there's going to she a showdown and things might get a bit messy in here. Do you want to go back for that fencing lesson darling before...?" he said as he grasped her arm to lead her from the ballroom.

"Yes perhaps we should leave...although I'd love to stay for the fallout from this." she said as she held out a bit longer, until the portion of the ball closest to the two women stopped, and they faced each other in a shouting match that was only reaching its crescendo of argumentative voices when Melody and Alexander retired to their room for more constructive use of their time.

Alexander did attempt to teach Melody the basics of sword fighting with a foil, but since they lacked the proper padding and other equipment, then it just turned into a bout of playfully chasing each other in their underwear with a broom handle and a curtain rod, they decided to postpone their official lesson for another day and just collapsed in bed together for another type of sword play.

After awhile, Alex and Melody contemplated about the fallout from their annual Christmas Ball, with both hoping that everything would settle down after a while despite the drama. Then Melody commented "Well you know dear, I was sad that my family weren't in attendance to your family's royal Christmas Ball, but perhaps it was a good thing they didn't attend." To which Alex answered "Ha ha darling I couldn't agree more! I'd rather be here with you anyhow, than that ball tonight. We can have our own party alone." To which she slyly answered "I agree! Merry Christmas...hmmm"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Time passed for Alexander and Melody as they fell into their roles as the heir apparent and his duchess within the Russian royal family. Melody had to get used to being called 'Maria' or sometimes 'Minnie' by her new in-laws, but for the most part she got along with the Romanov family, even with their wealth in their downtown palace in St. Petersburg. Still her favorite times became when she created paintings and occasionally went horseback riding with her husband or one of the servants.

After a while she had her first child, a son whom she named Nicholas, in memory of her her husband Alexander's late brother, who had also once been her fiancée. Alexander thought that it was a touching sentiment that Melody thought enough to name their firstborn after his late brother, although perhaps a bit unusual. Still he kept that thought to himself.

The next year, she gave birth to a second son whom they named Alexander IV, causing her to become the busy young mother indeed. One day soon after their second son was born, Alexander informed his wife that some of his family wanted to take a few photographs.

"Oh...all right that should be fine. Oh but the baby just got to sleep hon..." she replied.

"That's fine dear, we'll just photograph Nicky instead. He's a fine lad and should be wonderful for a picture." he laughed.

"If you say so...still I don't know if he'll sit still long enough for the photograph to take? I think it's time for his nap." she questioned.

"Oh nonsense! Come son let's take your photo. That's a good lad." Alex chuckled as he picked up his son.

The little lad started to laugh, then fuss while his father attempted to sit him on a table to photograph him. Suddenly little Nicky started to fuss and try to climb up on the table, after Alex had left him there to check the camera on it's tripod.

"Hey no son sit still! Command you to sit still and do not move!" Alex commanded, every inch the military man.

Suddenly baby Nicky looked up at him, tears in his eyes, his bottom lip quivering, before he burst out with a "Waaa!"

"No tears son, that's no way to be brave! Oh Minnie, assistance please..." he replied exasperated.

"Oh Alexander! Calm down, our son is only a year old! Oh come here bebe..." Melody said as she scolded her husband and went over to pick up her baby son to cuddle him close.

"Dear you coddle our son too much! He needs to become a man!" he exclaimed.

"Be a man? But he's just..."

"Yes, he cannot learn any younger. Anyway perhaps he just needs an amusement like his hobbyhorse. Yes he enjoys that, where is it? Someone should fetch it..." he proclaimed.

"Nicky's hobbyhorse is all the way back in the nursery, the nanny took baby Alexander back there, and right now I don't have time to fetch it." Melody said as she bounced her son on her hip to soothe him.

"No hobbyhorse? Hmm...perhaps I have an idea...Dear do you think you could perhaps turn this way?" Alex said as he took Nicky from her and turned her the direction he wanted her.

"Okay...ha ha hey what are you doing?" she laughed.

"Oh it's simple, just hold Nicholas this way and give him a ride like I sometimes do." he said as he positioned his toddler son on his wife's back.

"Ha ha, alright Nicky do you want to go for a horsey-ride? Yeah that's a good boy." she laughed as she bounced her son around the room, to the boy's suddenly happy giggles.

"All right dear, now just stand in one spot while I take a picture." Alex said as he positioned his camera.

"Oh Alexander, you're going to make a photograph of me giving Nicky a horsey-ride?" she laughed.

"Of course! I find it quite charming. Now hold still while the photograph processes." he said as he set the flash.

"Ha ha, I can't believe there's going to be a photograph of me giving my son a horsey-ride." she l laughed through clenched teeth.

"Yes and I think you make quite the lovely horse indeed, my dear." he laughed.

"Yes well maybe I'll have to take a photograph of you too, being quite the handsome horse indeed." she teased.

"Maybe...Okay dear you can move now..." he said.

"Good, all right Nicky all done. You were a good boy, daddy will have to take you back to your room himself. Hmm, maybe he can give you a horsey-ride too and mommy will take a picture of that..." she laughed as she ran over to Alexander.

"Oh I'll give him a ride back, but oh dear that looks like that was the last photo plate, so no more photographs today." he teased as he picked up the baby to lift him to his shoulders.

"Aw no more pictures? Not fair! Well I'll take a photograph one day soon hon, just watch out." she teased as they walked back.

"We shall see dear." Alex teased back as they walked back to the nursery.

As they were walking back, Melody posed another question to her husband "So dear, it's June now, so are we going to the summer palace this year?"

"Do you want to go to Livadia again dear?" he asked.

"Oh of course I found the castle there quite enjoyable. It reminds me a bit of home as well." she sighed.

"Home? Oh yes because the summer palace faces the Crimean Sea on one side. Do you miss the beach my dear?" he asked as he glanced down at her.

"Oh yes. I've grown to love St. Petersburg dear, truly I have, but no matter where I go I'll always have a special connection to the sea. It's a family thing." she sighed.

"Oh yes your stories of your family."

"Oh but they're true. Anyway being away from the sea reminds me of how my poor mother must've felt the first twelve years or so of my life, when we couldn't even go out onto the ocean because of the way my parents were trying to protect us from this conflict that involved my grandfather. They even built a battlement wall." she said.

"Battlement walls aren't that unusual dear. Hmm, you would've been a child a few years ago, wouldn't that have been at about the same time Napoleon II was attempting to invade certain parts of Europe as well?" he asked.

"Well perhaps..." she wondered.

"Yes, I believe so. Anyway dear it wasn't just that conflict with your grandfather that created the wall, but also issues throughout the rest of the world that caused your parents' caution about allowing you to go to the shore as a child. You'd do the same for our children." he answered.

"Well yes I would. Perhaps I'll write a letter to my parents to learn if that was true. Anyway dear, are we going to Livadia soon?" she pondered.

"Ha ha, yes my dear, as soon as you can get packed, we'll travel there." he chuckled as he laid a sleepy baby Nicky in his little bed.

The next day, Melody had overseen the packing of their luggage, and the family traveled to their summer palace in Livadia. A lovely place where they whiled away the day in luxury and Melody introduced her son to the creatures along the shore of the Crimean Sea, and she and her husband would spend evenings walking hand in hand along the beach in the twilight. It was an idyllic time indeed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

As time often does, it passes n the lives of all. Soon it was nearly fifteen years since Alexander and Melody had married. In those years much had happened in the way of more children being born to them, and the unfortunate death of their second son Alexander IV from meningitis at not quite a year old. The death of her son was quite traumatic indeed, but with courage and love from family and friends, Melody had the tenacity to overcome.

One day Melody was dealing with her children's needs as well as coordinating for the upcoming Easter Celebrations to raise money to help the various charities dearest to her, when suddenly she heard an explosion in the distance which caused her to wonder what had indeed happened. She feared for her husband's life as well as the lives of her various family members, so she sent a prayer heavenward.

A few hours later, she nearly cried in his arms when her husband came to her alive but sad. She wept in his arms and cried out. "Oh Sasha I'm so glad that wasn't you who was injured."

"No my dear, I am whole, but I cannot say the same for my father." he said with tears in his eyes.

"Your father?" she gasped.

"Yes a group of the Revolutionaries threw a bomb into his carriage and it went of, taking his foot with it..." he said sadly.

"His foot? Oh the poor tsar! Is there anything I can do to help?" she cried.

"Well I expect the medics will be bringing him in anytime, so you may do what is needed. But I warn you that you must be strong for us all because it isn't pleasant." he said stonily.

"Yes I suspected so. Oh dear, I am so glad that it wasn't you who was injured, but it still so tragic...and it makes me realize how fragile life truly is." she sighed.

"Yes you are correct, you truly are. Well I must go to meet with other officials to assess the situation, so I trust that you should be able to handle matters on your end as you always do. If you have any concerns however don't hesitate to contact me, because I'll always be there for you and I love you." he said as he gave her a hug and walked from the room.

"Yes dear and thank you. I love you too." she sighed as she watched her husband leave.

The medical team brought the Tsar in and Melody helped to deal with the situation, as bloody and messy as it was, as the rest of the tsar's family looked on. Despite their efforts however, the old tsar passed on to his reward soon after the assassination attempt. The tsar's current widow and daughters applauded Melody's efforts although she was unsure it had been enough, given the results. That night she wrote in her diary "Our happiest and serenest times are now over. My peace and calm are gone, for now I will only be able to worry about Sasha."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Time passed on and Melody and her family lived their lives in as much normalcy as possible, despite the political conditions that arose throughout the general populace of Russia. Melody wanted to give her children as splendid of a childhood as she felt they deserved, spending summers at their coastal palace, indulging their pleasures for art, horses, photography, ice skating, skiing, and even inventions such as roller skates.

Occasionally Melody and Alexander would take their children to visit other countries throughout Europe, where many of Melody's distant cousins and other relatives lived. Upon a few of those times the children met and played with these distant relatives in their own children's world.

One day while visiting some of their family in Germany, the children were playing in the garden. Nicholas was accompanying his cousin Franz on an excursion that boys were wont to do, trailing along through the woods pretending that they were grand adventurers on a quest, as they blazed a trail through the woods.

"Oh Franz how much farther until we get to wherever you said we're going to? My feet hurt."

"Oh Nicholas quit your complaining, we're almost there. The baker in the next village serves the most wonderful cream cakes, you should taste them! My mouth is watering already!" Franz chided as they strode along.

The boys continued walking until they arrived at the quaint Bavarian village that was part of the kingdom to which Franz's family belonged. The village was filled with country villagers, many of whom were wearing brightly colored costumes because a festival was going on. Nicholas noticed their attire and made note of it to Franz. "Franz, do your villagers normally dress so colorfully? Is this where your father is spending his all money?"

"Naw ha ha! The villagers must be having a festival of some sort." Franz laughed.

"Still though your German girls are rather appealing, for the peasant sort." Nicolas noticed.

"Oh yes indeed. Especially the older girls whose bosom is wont..." Franz commented, as he walked blindly around a building until he accidently bumped into a young girl, several years younger than himself.

"Oh pardon me sir, I'm sorry I was in such a hurry." the young blond said, as she backed away and brushed herself off.

"No apologies needed, miss." Franz said as he smiled down at her and asked "My question to you should be are you fine?"

"Oh yes I'm fine. I'm on a mission though because my mother recently gave birth to my twin brothers and she wanted me to fetch some herbs from my grandmother. Then my father wanted me to see if the goatherd has returned with our nanny goat, so I must hurry." the said in a mirthful hurry.

"Well then hurry on in your mission...and may I send my congratulations to your mother...still though if you will my mystery miss tell me your name so that I'll know to whom I was speaking." Franz said coyly.

"My name is Elisabeth, but most call me Sissi." she giggled over her shoulder, as she ran down a side street, her braids flying.

"Goodbye then Sissi and good luck." Franz said with a wave.

"Ha ha she was quite the girl! She'll be quite the looker once she's out of pigtails in a few years, wouldn't you agree?" Nicholas commented.

"Yes I would agree! Ha, a sight better than my cousins Alix and Helena, I would imagine. Too bad royalty has to keep with the bluebloods." Franz sighed.

"Oh, well maybe Alix will be fine, although she's a might awkward now. Still, who said that we have to stick with just bluebloods when it comes time to marry?" Nicholas queried.

"You have a point there, Nick. Sissi...hmm...maybe I'll have to keep your idea in mind for the future?" Franz pondered.

"Ha well Franz, the future can take take care of itself, but right now I'd like to take care of the present because I'm starving!" Nicholas joked.

"Oh yeah, come on Nick lets go find that bakery." Franz exclaimed, as he pulled Nicholas along to the bakery.

After the boys had had their fill and returned back to the palace, they were met by a brunette girl in a red and yellow dress who was followed by a slightly older girl with brunette auburn hair. The younger of the two jumped in front of the boys and burst into a verbal assault.

"Where were you two? Mother and father sent Alix and I out to look for you, but you were nowhere to be found! Did you sneak off on another wild adventure again Franz and bring Nicholas along with you?"

"Where we were is none of your concern, Helena!" Franz said sternly.

"Oh you were off to the Bavarian village again, weren't you Franz? Well the next time you'll have to take me, or else I'll tell your mother." Helena exclaimed.

"You can't blackmail me Helena! I know enough on you already. Just don't mess with my horse again or..." Franz threatened as he walked back past the stables and toward the manse.

"Don't mess with his horse, well I'll show him!" Helena laughed, as she ran off toward the stables.

Seeing that they'd been purposefully abandoned by their companions, Nicholas and Alix sidled over to a low stone wall, where they sat in awkward silence for awhile, until Nicholas started a conversation on the weather.

"Nice weather we're having today. Is it always so nice here in Germany?"

"Well yes I suppose so. Why do you ask?" Alix replied.

"Ah because in Russia it begins to get colder much sooner, or so it seems. Perhaps if it was warmer, then some of my family wouldn't suffer some of the illnesses they have." Nicholas replied.

"Illnesses? Oh dear that would never do! Do you seek out the proper doctors or advisors?" Alix gasped.

"Well, yes sometimes. Actually that is part of the reason why we're here, fore my father and mother to consult a few physicians on some issues of importance to them." Nicholas sighed.

"Whatever the issue is, I will keep your family in my most fervent thoughts and prayers. It is a pity indeed that royalty cannot in perfect health, as in the fairytales I love to read. My mother thinks that reading too many fairytales is not befitting my station and will lead me to flights of fancy, but I do not care." Alix exclaimed.

"Thank you for your concern. And as far as the fairytales, I see nothing wrong with that and admire you for your tenacity to baulk tradition. Why even my mother and grandmother knew Hans Christian Andersen, so you're not alone in your desire of a good tale." Nicholas warmly reassured her.

"They knew Mister Andersen? Oh Nicholas, do tell!" Alix said as she leaned in to hear more.

Meanwhile, back at the stable Helena had just succeeded in loosening the cinch strap on a gelding she had thought was a new one Franz had acquired and was just backing out of the stall, snickering to herself, when she backed into someone.

"Hello what do we have here? A little fraulein accosting my steed. Is this the type of treatment I should expect from the royal family?" the tall man, with a strong square jaw, dark hair, and a stern look in his eyes stared down at her.

"Your steed? I'm, I'm sorry sir...I didn't mean..." Helena stammered.

"Ah but you did mean, that I could clearly see. You're a liar, just like the rest of your family fraulein." he snapped.

"I am not a liar! And who are you to accost my family?" Helena boldly retorted.

"Ah ha the young lady has spunk! My name is Count Arcas, and you should be apt to remember it after all of the many deeds for the military I have accomplished." Arcas exclaimed boldly.

"Well Count Arcas, my name is Helena, and I don't know about any military deeds but I'm sure my father and uncle would love to see the papers I found in your saddle bags. Hmm, isn't the man who's signature on this letter the sworn enemy of my uncle, the King?" Helena mused.

"Hmm the impertinence of young ladies. Well no one will believe you, without the evidence my dear. Anyway I'm sure the king will take kindly the attempt you were about to make on his son's life when you unbuckled the strap on my steed, believing it was his." Arcas hissed.

"It was only a joke...Anyway how did you guess?" Helena exclaimed, astonished.

"It was easy to guess your intent, my dear Helena. Perhaps you should keep your deeds under better wraps yourself, fore I have my ways of finding out. I can't imagine what a handful you will be when you grow up a bit more." Arcas commented as he glared down at her.

A bit intimidated by Count Arcas, Helena hurried off, while a groom walked through the stables leading the carriage that the Romanov family were departing in for their continued journey through Europe.

"Children, Nicky, George, Xenia, are you all here? Gather around because we must depart at once for other realms that we must visit on our holiday. Your mother and I insist, so hurry along." Alexander regally exclaimed as ushered his wife into the coach and followed her inside.

The children bid farewell to their distant cousins and other playmates they had made thus far on the holiday in Germany. They all settled into their plush seats in the coach, with some of the children falling asleep, while others like Nicky contemplating the abrupt departure they had just made. Nicky glanced at his mother who seemed to have her mind elsewhere since their departure. This was especially proven true when he asked her about what was troubling her and she gave him a noncommittal answer that told him not to worry about it.

Eventually they reached the river where they would sail until the reached the sea and the kingdom where Melody had grown up. The ride on the ship was fortunately uneventful, and soon they saw the sandstone castle by the sea where their mother had grown up. To Melody, everything had changed, yet stayed the same. The shoreline and beaches had decreased slightly, or perhaps the piers and boardwalk was encroaching further out to sea, she wasn't certain.

The family departed he ship, walked across a boardwalk, and was soon greeted by a contingent of servants from the local royal staff. A coachman greeted them and ushered the family into a royal coach which whisked them away to the castle. The Romanov children were impressed by the view the castle had of the sea even from the drawing room windows, however their mother was mostly anxious to be able to speak to her own mother again. The family were just relaxing, when a small figure in a grayish rose colored gown entered the room and cleared her voice.

"Grandma!" the youngest children shouted as they ran to greet their grandmother, giving her a hug in the meantime.

"Hello dears and how are you doing?" she said as she greeted her grandchildren each with a hug then looked up and asked "And how is your mother?"

"Their mother is doing fine although she misses her own mother quite a bit." Melody said as she walked over to her own mother and embraced her in greeting.

"Oh darling Melody it's so good to see you too! And Alexander it is good to see you again. Everything fine in Russia?" Ariel asked.

"We are doing fine madame, although strategy is a must at times because one cannot predict the future." Alexander exclaimed as he greeted his mother-in-law and then proceeded to look past her.

"Well if you want to talk strategy son, I believe my husband Eric is in the map room contemplating the memories of his past campaigns and so forth. You can meet him there to share old war stories and so forth if that's what you'd like. Dinner is at seven though." Ariel explained as Alexander excused himself to seek his father-in-law.

"Oh mother you're very accommodating but to find my father's map would take a map unto itself. Are you up to your old tricks again mother?" Melody exclaimed under her breath.

"Well I couldn't resist and my name is Ariel, don't ya know?" Ariel said slyly.

"Oh you're wicked mother! When will you ever grow up?" Melody sighed.

"Oh who knows, maybe in some ways I never will." Ariel chuckled to herself.

"Yeah like us all...ha ha...well anyway I'm glad to be home again." Melody sighed as she sank into a chair near her mother.

"Are you Mel? Are you glad to be home?" Ariel asked curiously.

"Of course mother. I'm no longer the little girl I once was, ready to explore all the world around me. Now I'm just content to stay in one place, or come here to visit you and father. I must be getting old, or perhaps it is because I am the mother of so many?" Melody sighed.

"Ha ha perhaps." Ariel chuckled as she sipped her tea.

"Well enough for getting old, so how are you and father doing mother? How are my brothers and sisters doing?" Melody asked as she sipped her tea from the dainty teacup.

"Thank you for asking dear. Your father and I are doing well although age seems to be creeping up on us as well. Your oldest brothers are doing well, one even moved to the New World recently with his family. Your youngest brother's daughter, you know your brother who married that girl in France, was studying in England and has since married a professor by the name of Porter or some sort. I can never remember exactly what they're all up to anymore. And your sister is doing well herself, her and her husband and all their children." Ariel sighed.

"My mother, you are becoming the grandmother of Europe and the Americas." Melody laughed.

"Well I suppose so. Anyway how are you and your family doing?" Ariel questioned.

"We are doing fine, although quite busy. Our latest trip to see some of my cousins in Germany went interestingly although it could've been a bit less stressful. The Kaiser could've been a bit more diplomatic with Alex and so could've his wife. Ah so many things I don't know what to do." Melody sighed.

"Oh you're still learning about life dear, and the fact that everything doesn't always go your way and that people seldom agree, especially in political matters. Still though perhaps there is something you can do as far as diplomacy. Think of ways in which you can extend the olive branch persay, such as invite them to visit your kingdom, see the issues that you and your husband must deal with on a daily basis. It can't hurt." Ariel suggested.

"Yes perhaps that would work. I'll have to pose the suggestion to Alexander and learn what his opinion is. It might not be easy." Melody pondered.

"Ah yes I suppose nothing worthwhile is. Still all you can do is try. Anyway my dear how are the children truly? Any issues?" Ariel said.

"Well mother to be honest..." Melody went on telling about her children's latest achievements and concerns, while her mother listened and gave her suggestions where she could.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Time passed for the Romanov family, and soon Nicholas was old enough to take a bride. When he told his family that he'd chosen his distant cousin Alix as his bride, his parents were quite surprised indeed. Melody wasn't entirely pleased with the selection since she found young Alix a bit flighty and too shy, but remembering that her son was an adult now, she let Nicholas have his choice of bride.

Not long after Nicholas and Alexandra married and produced their first heir, a daughter, Melody and her husband Alexander traveled once more to Copenhagen, however the trip was far too taxing on Alexander that soon afterward he had a heart attack and died. Melody was overwrought with grief, but she knew she had to soldier on despite it all.

As the years passed, Melody delighted in the birth of each new grandchild and found it especially interesting that all of the children Nicky and his wife Alix had were all daughters. When their youngest daughter, Anastasia was born, Melody had an especial fondness for her because she reminded her of how her own mother Ariel must have been as a child. Actually Melody found it quite interesting that her son's family was so much like her mother's family, that daughters would be born in such an abundance in the next generation just like her mother's, with specific exceptions of course.

Eventually Nicholas and Alix had their much needed son, and it was soon after that that Melody began taking Anastasia under her wing. Even going so far as planning to give her a Fabergé egg music box as a gift. The music box had dancing figurines which resembled Anastasia's parents as well as being slightly reminiscent of a similar music box her mother had told her that her own mother had many years ago. Even though the music box wasn't truly magic, it was the finest mechanics the Fabergé artisans could create.

One summer the family sailed to their summer palace in Lavadia, near the Crimean Sea. To make the voyage more lively, Anastasia prompted her siblings to skate along the deck on roller skates. Then when they arrived at the beach, Anastasia found a large, smooth board and made a slide to ride all the way into the sea.

When Melody saw it, she laughed and asked her grandchild about it. "So what do you have here?"

"Oh grandma this is my slide which I use to slide from here all the way into the sea. It's great fun, you should try it!" Anastasia giggled.

"Oh I would love to dear, and in my younger days I would have followed you in a minute, but now dear, I'm afraid that age has caught up with me." Melody sighed.

"Oh that's too bad grandma! How were you like in your younger days grandma?" Anastasia asked.

"Well I was much like you, full of curiosity and adventure, but still Ana with your red hair, you remind me of someone else. Do you want to know who it was?" Melody asked.

"Oh yes grandmother, who was it?" Anastasia asked.

"Your great-grandmother, Ariel. She was quite the woman indeed. Long red hair and full of adventures in and by the sea, just like you and then again not like you. Your grandmother had to be strong too, especially to be able to leave the only home she'd ever known, just to marry your grandfather Eric, who was a prince and later a king." Melody explained warmly to her granddaughter.

"Oh I wish I could've met her grandmother! She sounds interesting." Anastasia commented.

"Yes I too wish you could've met her my dear, because she'd have loved to meet you as well." Melody sighed as she stared out across the ocean, with a tear in her eye.

"Well then you can tell me stories about great-grandma and the various things that she did, while I play here. Here let me show you my new slide, see grandma!" Anastasia said as she giggled and ran across the beach toward her slide, then slid down it.

Melody just sat on her beach chair watching the action of all of her grandchildren as they frolicked along the shoreline in the setting sun, telling various stories to Anastasia and her other grandchildren.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Time passed and eventually seemingly unforeseen events began to occur, including the uprising of the populace under the guise of equality through communism and it was a difficult time indeed. Melody was fortunate enough to escape to Paris France, but she still worried constantly over her loved ones in Russia. It just seemed to get worse and worse for her family, but Melody kept praying for them, holding to her faith with a strength even she didn't realize she possessed.

When she heard that it seemed that her son Nicholas' whole family had been assassinated by the the Bolshevicks, she fell to the floor in a near faint and drew away from society almost entirely. Her sister tried to help her, but the dowager empress became cynical of 20th century society and the changes that had been wrought in the years since she left Russia for Paris.

A decade passed, with few changes in Melody's life, except for vague rumors about Anastasia still being alive. Melody didn't want to lose faith, but after screening a few applicants, it became apparent that most of the young ladies who came were definitely not Anastasia. This caused Melody to become even more reluctant about seeing others who claimed they were her grandchild.

Eventually one day, a young man in his early 20s claimed he'd brought a young woman with him whom he claimed was Anastasia. Melody didn't want to believe him, even when he drove her to a certain hotel and showed her a certain Fabergé egg music box. When she quietly walked into the room and saw the tall, auburn titan haired young woman in the blue Chanel gown, Melody knew almost immediately that it was her granddaughter, Anastasia. This was confirmed when the young woman made comments about how she remembered her using peppermint oil on her hands.

When they reunited, it was a happy reunion of reminiscent memories and stories galore. Eventually Melody told Anastasia that she was going to have a ball in her honor, however she did have a right to her own life, despite what the tradition and decorum of polite society dictated. Melody had a feeling that Anastasia's friend Dimitri meant more to her than she was willing to admit, especially after Dimitri refused the reward money for bringing Anastasia, so that was why she told her granddaughter what she did.

That night when Anastasia didn't appear for the introduction part of the ball and left a note behind, Melody knew in her heart that her grandchild had made the right choice for her and that the legacy would continue in the next generation. A royal legacy of women foraging ahead to new frontiers and making the choices that were right for them, no matter what the future may hold.


End file.
